What to buy?

I have a son turning 21 in December. He has reasonable experience with handguns and a ton of experience with shotguns. I own a Glock 19 .45 cal for personal protection, a S&W .22 cal revolver for plinking, and have owned a few other handguns in both semi and revolver in 22, .380, 38 special, .32, 9mm and now .45 cal. I plan on buying him a handgun for his birthday.

He will use it primarily for target shooting and personal protection. I doubt he will get his concealed carry soon. He would prefer a high capacity semi in .45 or 9mm. Price is somewhat of an issue and I would like to limit the cost to the $400-600 range.

I have approximately 1,000 .38 special ammo in inventory, and this is tending to influence my decision. However, the ammo will be expended long before the gun, so I don't want to make a mistake on the gun caliber based upon this short term supply of ammo.

In my son's words, he tends to favor a mid-sized semi auto. Definately not interested in a small concealable, and not wanting an elephant gun.

I contend the .45 cal is too expensive for targets and plinking. I also find the .45 to not be too much fun given the noise and recoil.

So, I am seeking opinions and guidance on caliber choice and make and model suggestions for the best fit to his desires, my budget, and practicality of all the issues.

I have one quick question for you. You wrote that you own a Glock 19 in .45? There is no such thing. The Glock 19 is a 9mm weapon.

Anyway, back to your question. If your son would prefer a semi-auto, I recommend the Glock 19. Not too small, not too big and it shoots cheap 9mm rounds. It is easy to take care of and fun to shoot.

If he is interested in a revolver, I would recommend a Smith & Wesson K or L frame .357 Magnum. This way he can shoot your .38 Special ammo, but also "move up" to full .357 loads int he future if he wants.

Last but not least, you are one heck of a dad. Wanting to buy your son his first handgun is pretty cool in my opinion. Maybe you can take him shopping to pick it out. That might be even more meaningful to him.

Glock 19

My bad. The .45 is a Glock 30. And thanks, I look forward to shopping with my son on the purchase. He knows this is going to be his present, and we are researching this together. We've spent many hours shooting together as did my father with me.

Last but not least, you are one heck of a dad. Wanting to buy your son his first handgun is pretty cool in my opinion. Maybe you can take him shopping to pick it out. That might be even more meaningful to him.

Thanks for the suggestions. He is showing interest in the Ruger SR9. I know about the recall. Any thoughts on this one? Also, what thoughts on the Sig P250? I think it may be too costly, but it sounds like a versatile handgun.